No airfare surge around Diwali? Govt's big festive season directive to airlines
Civil aviation minister stressed that fares should remain reasonable across all routes, ensuring that passengers are not burdened by sudden price hikes.
The festive season is usually the time when airfares witness an exponential surge, with a steep rise in demand. However, travellers may be in for some relief this time ahead of Diwali with the government's fresh directive to airlines on maintaining reasonable airfares.
Civil aviation minister K Rammohan Naidu on Friday directed airlines to maintain reasonable prices on their flight tickers during the upcoming festive season.
Naidu held a review meeting with officials from Air India, Air India Express, IndiGo, Akasa Air, Alliance Air, Fly91, FlyBig, and IndiaOne Air. The discussion, which lasted over five hours, covered operational and technical performance, passenger grievances, and security incidents, according to an official release cited by news agency PTI.
Amid rising concerns that airfares could spike during the busy festive season ahead of Diwali due to increased travel demand, civil aviation minister Naidu directed airlines to keep ticket prices in check. He stressed that fares should remain reasonable across all routes, ensuring that passengers are not burdened by sudden price hikes during the upcoming festival period.
To further curb fare surges, the civil aviation ministry upgraded its AirSewa portal, allowing passengers to register complaints related to high airfares. Naidu also directed the DGCA’s Tariff Monitoring Unit to monitor airlines’ compliance with declared fare ranges.
“Airlines assured that passenger convenience will remain their top priority and informed that additional flight capacities have been deployed on high-traffic routes to meet festive demand,” the release said.
Maintain best service quality
The periodic review came in the backdrop of two recent incidents involving Air India’s Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft. Naidu urged airlines to adopt best practices in passenger service and efficiency.
“Detailed discussions were held with each airline on identifying bottlenecks in their operations and addressing their challenges,” the release added.
Airlines were also asked to resolve passenger grievances promptly and effectively.
Civil Aviation Secretary Samir Kumar Sinha, DGCA DG Faiz Ahmed Kidwai, and other senior ministry officials attended the meeting.
